Yameen's Speech Translated

By Minivan News, January 17, 2005

Election speech given by Yameen Abdul Gayoom, Minister for Trade, Maldives. The speech was given in Miladhoo Island, Noonu Atoll, on the 16th December 2004. The speech was translated into English by Minivan News.

A lot of work in the past 25 or 27 years has been done by the government for the development of the outer islands. Similarly, this time also after the President took the oath and accepted a new term of five years it was decided to make this five years a period of practical implementation. The first year of those five years is nearing completion. However what is happening, as all the people of Miladhoo would know, is that big happenings have transpired among us.

Late last year, even before the Elections, huge happenings took place. Again late this year during August, a great big rebellion in Male’ happened. The result of these things have been that those who are there to work, from the President, to us down to office workers and secretaries, we are to rectify for the people and do varied work. So from those things though it is apparent that this year was for us to work with the most effort and strength for the development of the country, however, you would have known from the news media what had transpired in Maldives. What transpired was some Maldivians collaborated with some influential foreigners. We had to explain much to the big countries that give aid to Maldives. As a result what happened was that the whole year is nearing completion with us not being able to do things for the development of the country as rapidly as we wanted.

However what is more important than all that is to rectify the hatred that has been formed abroad against Maldives or to correct the level to which the Maldives’ image has been muddied. We cannot move forward without rectifying that. For example, the history of Maldives prior to this, or, by divine grace, after this, shall not note a day that the outside world viewed the Maldives so nastily.

Europe is a continent that has many countries that do a lot of things for Maldives. The parliaments of very many countries in Europe - the European Parliament - passed against the Maldives very strict very unjust and very ill-mannered resolutions. However those countries will begin acting upon it by themselves, in what is called Europe every country is independent, but European Parliament includes the parliaments of all those countries, the dangerous matters passed we shall have to change. Some affairs have been destroyed by certain people! However those have to be rectified! This is maybe why our work became heavier, for this reason.

For example the biggest medium of income for Maldives is tourism. However a resolution has been passed in Europe that Maldives doesn’t have a democratic system, that there was no respect for human rights, that in Maldives, in the name of religious harmony, foreigners don’t have any freedom to worship any other religions!

Many such sayings here have been said. So tourists are being told, or to the nations from where tourists come, the Italian government, the British government, the German government, have been saying that sending tourists to Maldives doesn’t calm their hearts. That the Maldives was not seen as that much a safe place for European people to go.

Then should this resolution be passed - what may transpire, shall we imagine that? Should the implementation of the resolution begin what will happen to us is that people coming from Europe will stop arriving! Then the other resolution passed is, Europe has many nations that give much aid to Maldives, that except humanitarian assistance, (humanitarian assistance means should there be an epidemic, to let us have free the medication required to counter the disease or giving it at a lower price, if selling) they should not give any aid - this was passed.

Europe is made up from different nations, our building schools in the islands have been aided from European nations. Here is the Male’ Water Company with shareholders from a European nation, aid has been given in matters of (electric) current, and so on many affairs have been assisted, therefore should aid except humanitarian assistance be not given, that would be a big problem for Maldives. Countries that give the largest aid assistance to Maldives here include European nations and Japan and China. These are the countries that give the largest aid to Maldives. Therefore for us the first thing we had to do was to go to Europe and rectify that matter.

Then viewing it another way, I am thinking to say here that in the resolution passed there in Europe, even the Maldives President, and no minister in any matter, to step foot in a European country was banned! A resolution of such strength has been passed there. These matters are known in Male’! In Male’ they put it in newspapers but in the outer islands the degree to which these matters have reached, if not whether the details were known, is not known. That is why I am mentioning! With that which is being said, because of these matters, we have to visit European countries. For this is not the reality in the Maldives, which is safe, and we would do everything for them to stay here with safety and do many such work.

Countries that give the largest aid to Maldives include Japan, that is a country that strongly assists Maldives. Then the other country is China. In the visits I made to these two places, I went, four or five from among the ministers had the luck, I also received the luck, when I talked to responsible sides in those two countries, government sides, people in the TV and tour operators, I sensed their tension. They must be made to know that in Maldives matters were not in the way that Europe had conveyed, that the Maldives was a very safe place, many such work had to be done. Much really huge work had to be done, in every city three four days had to be spent. I met almost all responsible persons in government. After doing huge work only even a tiny change was made to alter the way they thought about us.

When I went to one island in Noonu Atoll this time, to Kudafari, for example the school there is looked after by Japanese government Aid. Now it has been three years maybe that they have been not receiving Japanese government Aid. Every year went with that slipping and slipping. Following August that year the Japanese government had informed that they were fully stopping their Aid. Again now it has been arranged for Aid to be given! Therefore much huge work needed for our development, and large amounts of Aid needed and our own time spent doing all this! For example, following 12-13 August even I, at the office, wasn’t able to get about working! I had to get about rectifying such matters confronting us.

After returning from this trip I had worked on my own, even the government knowing it and the government permitting it, to go to Ceylon. That they maybe a few Maldivians, they are in collaboration with people of Ceylon, going on doing many work.

Actually the work to pass that strong resolution in the European parliament was done by a Ceylon person! By birth a Ceylon person but because of living in Britain, a British, but he is yet! yet! a ripe Ceylon person! A ripe Ceylon person!

All what he wants is, first in connection with September 19 – 20, he worked again to stop tourist coming to the Maldives. What he wants is that if tourism is destroyed in the Maldives every thing will go to Ceylon. Therefore our loss is a very big gain to Ceylon. Therefore he tried to take every thing towards Ceylon.

Anyway, after a few days he spoke to Gogo Latheef. But Latheef, exchanged views with some people in Male’ and they advised Latheef not to take us into something like this. Not to try and destroy tourism. That time, Latheef believed what most Maldivians said.

But what happened this time was the Ceylonese man, Nerj Deva, (some people in Male’ might know him by name), tried very hard and this time and Latheef agreed and this time many things have happened. We are now facing the dangers of these things.

Even now these Maldivians are living in Sri Lanka, they have connections with opposition parties of Sri Lanka, they have cordial relations with some key individuals of the Sri Lankan government, on my trip I had to do plenty of work, I had to meet with all of these parties in Sri Lanka, and due to this reason there has been a set back in making this trip to this atoll!

Previously, it was arranged for the Sri Lankan Prime Minister to visit at the beginning of this month, which is why I stayed back. My trip had paved the way to better relations. I stayed back because the Prime Minister had requested that I accompany him on the informal leg of his journey to visit various places in the Maldives once the formal leg of his journey came to a close. He said that he would appreciate my presence in the Maldives during his visit to the Maldives. This is one of the reasons for the delay in this trip of mine [to this Atoll]. However now those arrangements has been rescheduled for the beginning of January.

The government of Sri Lanka is now saying that the reason why a party of Maldivians seem to have thought to stay in Sri Lankan - as if it is their second home - is only because of the good relations between Sri Lanka and the Maldives!

It is now apparent, they said, due to the events that have transpired, and because of the numerous information gained from the Maldivian government, that these parties have either taken unfair advantage of or, in order to destroy the Maldives, even if in collaboration with a few of our people, it is really these Maldivians, those that are staying there [in Sri Lanka] that have created the trouble!

So if the Maldivian government desires to please tell the Sri Lankan government. We could, in our own parliament, pass an extremely severe motion, reiterating that our support is with the government and even though there are a few Maldivians who have created such trouble, condemn these roguish activities! And we are now in the process of this task! [We are also] trying to see whether such a motion can be passed in the Sri Lankan parliament. I had to mention this in order to give you an idea of the degree of events taking place, since even our own time has been confined and even I myself had to go abroad a number of times towards the end of this year, firstly to China and Japan and then my trips to Sri Lanka.

The attention the government has been bestowing upon the atolls and Male’ has been somewhat curbed compared to previous years. This is because of the constraints on our time for this work. Hence every ministry, if the minister is not present, the work done by that ministry will be slowed down. This is the way it will work in all places. Thus a lot of us have been pushed for time recently or the time has been utilized to change the anger and the roguish view of the outside world regarding the Maldives, yet it is something that needed the utmost importance.

Because it is an important task that had to be carried forth. And some ministers after their trips for instance, had to go to the British parliament. Even the British parliament had viewed the Maldives in a very roguish manner with regard to these events. In no way had they taken the initiative to interfere any other time previously having found out the way things transpire in the Maldives. Always they contact parties conducting roguish activities or gives roguish oppositional views.

In actual fact, these Maldivian parties who are conducting these activities are mostly being assisted by American Christian missionary groups who are trying to spread the Christian faith, and they are giving these Maldivians monetary assistance! This is the source of their money, even if they do get some financial assistance from a few Maldivian parties, the main source of their income is from Christian missionary priests in the United States of America. Their money is received from parties who are trying to spread the Christian faith in the world.

And some members of our parliament had to visit the British parliament. This is because when government ministers try and meet with parliamentary members it is often felt that they are biased towards the government point of view. But it is not so! When parliamentarians elected by the people meet them and talk to them [British parliamentarians] they will believe them!

And we also in the same manner we had to meet with the organisation working for human rights in an international capacity, Amnesty International, and also we had to meet the Inter-Parliamentary Union which is represented by all the parliaments of the world. Some of our parliamentary members had to visit this union! Listen to the point I’m trying to make: we, who hold key positions in the government, even though we are also elected members of the parliament, we cannot go to these places! The reason we cannot go is because instead of believing in what we are saying they think that we are trying to make a case in defence of the government! Thus we decided not to include those of us like myself who are elected parliamentarians but also government ministers! At the same time there are eight members of parliament who are directly appointed by the President. Also we had to exclude them since it will be felt that they too would talk in defence of the government!

Thus it was decided to form 5 member teams, approved by us, from the 35 members that we got from the 50 member parliament after excluding the above mentioned groups, to be sent to the different destinations. Some members to talk with the British parliament, some to meet with the international human rights group, and also the Inter-Parliamentary Union, to meet them and be answerable legally, to be able to debate regarding the proposals being made, or to be able to influence them, and the most important issue is being able to tell them in detail the events that have transpired in a legal context and also parties meeting them had to be educationally equipped to shield the Maldives and its citizens against some of the questions that they could present, and this task can only be undertaken by those in the Maldivian parliament who are fluent in a foreign tongue, as well as being intellectually qualified for the job.

We wanted 15 members to go. Three teams of 5 members each from amongst the 35 parliamentarians who are qualified for the task or those who have the necessary qualities. And we could only obtain 5 members from the whole parliament! Only 5 members! This is the state of affairs of our parliament!

This is why I’m stressing, I’m not telling you to vote for me, nevertheless, I will ask all citizens of this atoll to vote for me! What I’m saying is that if we are to elect members to the parliament, they have to be equipped and qualified enough to be able to talk in defence of the government and the people and to be able to save the government and the people from such predicaments.

In this day and age, only a local education or a Dhivehi language qualification in law or educated in Dhivehi and with a legal qualification or having a legal qualification from an institute in Male’ teaching in the Arabic medium or someone who had been a judge. A Dhivehi education is not sufficient to deal in such matters.

What can we do in the outside world? What will we do once outside the Maldives? According to the principles governing today’s world, the most powerful will be the strongest. The decisions the powerful make will be strongest. That decision has to be followed by the whole world, you know that don’t you, the way America works isn’t it, we all know that don’t we?

We all know the way America works, the whole Middle East is made up of Arab Muslim nations. There is only one Jewish state there. It is a tiny nation, populated by very few people. Yet the American state budget awards them approximately 225 million US dollars worth of weapons annually. It is all for free! It is the work done to maintain that state in that region. Thus even if the whole world, even if the whole of the Arab Islamic world, were to unite there is nothing that can be done in that region. That is the smallest of nations. Yet, on the other hand, this nation is holding the hand of the most roguish, strong, influential, rich nation in the world!

Anywhere in the world, if America does it, it is accepted! What America decides! Even the United Nations will decide according to what America decides! If America wants a certain decision taken by the UN, America will offer them the highest income. They will halt this income! Thus the UN will not get any money; UN employees will not get their salaries. The UN will not be able to undertake other tasks that they want accomplished. Thus in today’s world the powerful will be the one who will also undertake to do things! This is the way it is!

Thus if we are to stand up against the Europeans, in the blink of an eye, Maldives will be destroyed, in just half a second Maldives will be destroyed! That and in front of us is our tourist season, if these motions are passed by these nations, and if they refuse to send their people here, there are many aspects that need to be paid attention to in these nations.

In the Travel Offices, for instance the Italian Foreign Office, did bring out a strongly worded press release, saying that they do not give advice at the moment to go to the Maldives. In Britain, this is a very strong statement, their foreign office or their external affairs office, said that they do not advice their citizens to go the Maldives at the moment, if they want to go they must go at their own discretion, such strongly worded statements have been issued!

In order to amend this situation, even if all our people are not aware, some of us are working towards it. Responsible members of the government and of the parliament are doing a lot of hard work, and it is because of this work that many nations have postponed the ratification of this motion. It is not that they will not ratify it! They have given us more time, in order that they see an improvement in our affairs and to see how the government handles the events that have transpired.

These foreign governments never accepted the detention of people involved in the recent revolution! Their only problem is their release, they do not accept that these people should be sentenced under law or shari’ah. According to them these people have done no wrong, they only went there with reform proposals to the government.

When I went to meet the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka he told me, he is a former advocate of labour unions, before he became the Prime Minister, he told me, “you know Yameen, in our nations even in Sri Lanka itself, government employees or labour unionists will shout for two, three hours every day! They will propose certain things they want! Then they will go away, so what is the problem in Maldives, wasn’t it such people that gathered that day, why are you making it such a big deal in the Maldives, in Sri Lanka people will gather for two, three hours at the Prime Minister’s office or the Parliament House or at the residence of a famous, powerful person, shout and then they will go!”

We do whatever we want against them at the given time, what the laws and regulations forbid we do not concede! But it is a problem here, people will constantly gather!

So I told him “but imagine this, Prime Minister, in the Maldives all of them did not gather for two hours, they gathered for 17 hours, and they surrounded the main defence centre of the Maldives, and what happened next was that there was strife within their ranks, there was no weapons or defence, two policemen were stabbed, a government building near the place was torched! It was only after such dangerous events had transpired, and then after people were repeatedly advised but did not move that the government acted accordingly, a state of emergency was declared and measures that were taken were done so to disperse the people to their homes.” Then from then onwards did his conversation change for the first time, and he wondered why he never found out about these events - for 17 or 19 hours these people remained there, and did they do such a lot? Then I told him that yes, they did! That if you do not believe me to ask other parties and find out if things had transpired as such that day.

Even governments of the European countries think that the gathering was held by a certain group of people to submit their suggestions and proposals to the government. They do not know that it was a dangerous gathering by an unruly crowd. It is because there are Maldivians in the UK to report the news like that. There are MDP [Maldivian Democratic Party] members in the UK. There are even more of them in Sri Lanka.

So what I am trying to tell you is that the members of the parliament have to do many things. The MPs who are elected are not there just for passing bills. They are not just people who have to provide medicine to sick people who come to them for help. Their role does not end where they assist island communities in development. They must be people who can go to foreign countries and defend Maldives in times of national crisis and danger such as this.

So I think, my advice is, when you vote you should vote with this in mind. The MPs should be educated people. They should be capable of doing this. The undesirable incidents that I am talking about have been rectified to some extent now because of the work of many people. The people who rectified it were not the people who created it. A group of people may set this place on fire. It will not be the same people who will come and extinguish the fire. So it will be very easy to break the peace in a society.

The question is why foreigners get involved in such things created by a few Maldivian people? The reason is neighbouring countries are very jealous of the Maldives. Compared to Maldives, both Sri Lanka and India have the same wealth as Maldives about 10 years ago.

This does not mean that they are not more powerful countries. It does not mean they do not have more intelligent people. There are more intelligent people than us there. But because of the availability of resources for us, and our wealth, when we first started maintaining statistics, that was about 10 or 15 years ago, the Gross National Product, or in other words the income Maldives gets each year, or the value of what is produced by Maldives each year, that is divided over the population. That's the standard used to measure it. Using that standard, the per capita income was about 200 dollars, that was about 15 years ago. Sri Lanka also had almost the same per capita income and I think India also had a per capita income of about 180 dollars. Today, after 15 years, the per capita income of India is about 400 or 500 dollars. In Sri Lanka also it is about 390 or 400 dollars. In Maldives the per capita income now exceeds 2,000 dollars.

I think in this type of meetings, not everybody will speak. Some people will take the initiative to speak. But there are also some ladies present here, it will be good to hear something from them too.

Based on what I have heard, the highest priority of the people is dredging the lagoon of the island. With the will of God, I will try to make the first assistance I offer for Miladhoo to be the dredging of the lagoon, as soon as possible, in the best way possible.

But, but, even in this, even after I get elected, there must be good relations between the people of Miladhoo and me. If there is any misunderstanding, before making any conclusions about me, please ask me about it. Ask me about it first, because I am a candidate after being a candidate for this atoll even previously. I am not doing this in the manner of being a candidate for this atoll, promising something for this atoll and after failing to deliver them, apply as a candidate for another atoll. I became a parliamentary candidate for the first time also for Noonu Atoll. Now also I am a candidate for Noonu Atoll.

If we consider the terms I have been elected, this will be my third term. So considering the current MPs in parliament, I have become an experienced MP. I have not decided to be a candidate for Alifu Atoll this time, or even for Male', isn't it? If I had been a candidate for Male' this time it would have been even easier for me. It is because there are no strong candidates for Male'. But I contested for Noonu Atoll first and second time because I also belong to Noonu Atoll and have relatives there. After that there was no election, I was elected automatically. I am contesting for Noonu Atoll this time also because of the said reasons.

Despite the spreading of different malicious rumours I always have hope. If services are considered, I think I also have served the atoll much. But at the same time I also agree that the needs of the people will never be satisfied. Always there will be new needs for each island. That is natural and that is how it will be everywhere. Even our personal needs are increasing. So I think I will get a legal or any other capacity to serve only after I get elected.

I have told that I will try to do that (dredging the lagoon) as soon as possible in the best manner possible. There is also a team from Miladhoo who will help me in this (re-election). What you have to do is back me more strongly. I think I can also guide you and help you if you also come to me and discuss things and improve the relations you have with me. So the people must do that.

Believe that the relations you have with me is an honest and good relation. That is what you will do. That is there between me also. Some people may think Yameen may speak about all this and after elected Yameen will not do anything he said, so what is the guarantee we have? Some people may think like that or some people who spread rumours may talk like that. But what I have to say is that I have been an MP for this atoll for 11 years or 12 years. If Yameen says he will do something for the atoll and then does not do it then I would not have won such trust from the people, isn't it?

If the people also think like that about me there is room for me also to think the same about the people. You are telling me that the first vote will go for Yameen from Miladhoo. I also have the right to ask what guarantee do I have about that. But I am not asking that. I am not asking that, isn't it?

Even after the people say that, even in an island other than Miladhoo, if the people do not vote then there is nothing that can be done about it. Nobody can be forced regarding that. The government will not be able to force it and neither can I. That will be done only based on the honest and good relations maintained by the people. So even if some people ask other people this question, we are not talking about that guarantee. We do not want that guarantee expressed orally. The guarantee of the people will be based on how dedicated the people campaign in the islands. Even if a person gives a strong guarantee orally that might not materialise. What matters about this is how honest and truthful the people are and the trust. So with the will of God, what you have assigned me, I should be elected as number one with a large majority from this atoll.

Miladhoo is very important for my election. Miladhoo is very important for my election. The reason why Miladhoo is important is, I will tell you the reason. Strong candidates from other atolls are contesting, isn't it? In some other islands the vote will be distributed among the candidates. Two canddiates are from Manadhoo, three from Velidhoo and a strong candidate from Holhudhoo. But if the people from those islands try to elect the candidates from those islands, then Miladhoo becomes very important, isn't it? My idea is that if I am from Miladhoo, I will think, for example, Manadhoo, if the people of Manadhoo vote for the candidate from Manadhoo, then their priority will be for Manadhoo, his priority will be for Manadhoo. Miladhoo will not come second or third in his priority list.

This is one reason why Miladhoo is so important. The other reason is I have very good relations with Miladhoo. Even in Male' there is a very strong group who is working with me, in the presidential election that is. Even in previous elections, even if some votes are lost from Miladhoo, considerable numbers of votes come from Miladhoo, the island being a large one. So that is why Miladhoo is very important. The votes from Miladhoo are very important if I become number one from the atoll in the election. That is why I am telling this in Miladhoo, that everybody should cast their first vote for me.

I can also serve you if I get the motivation to serve, isn't it? Now, now the young people, after playing soccer, after they get tired, they go for the second match after having some glucose, isn't it? Or they will do something to replenish energy. Before they start the second half they will drink glucose or do something else. Even sick people they will have a glucose injection if they are tired.

I can also do this, it has been a really long time since I have been in this. I have become very tired also. Because of different things. But I am trying to do this very faithfully. So I also need a booster now. That booster is for each person from each island to cast the first vote for me. I should come first from this atoll this time. I will get the energy to work to fulfill the needs of the people of all islands only if I come first in the election.

I will end my speech now. Thank you very much for the support you have given me from Miladhoo. I would like to believe that each person will cast their first vote with honesty to me. Thank you.

[ENDS]